morning oats

If you've been reading this blog for a while now, you've certainly been made aware that I love oatmeal. I've made steel cut oats for breakfast, two different kinds of baked oatmeal and some gussied-up porridge. What I have never tried until now was the deliciousness of Scottish oatmeal. Hello, take my hand and follow me around forever, you yummy oat! Scottish oats are very similar in consistency to steel cut but cook in way less time yet yield that nice chewy texture provide the perfect sustenance to get you through any rough morning.

This isn't really a recipe. It was just me for breakfast today so I decided to prepare myself a large bowlful of oats. I just took the directions off of the package of Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oats and cut the amounts in half. What really made this breakfast special was the addition of pecans, dried cherries and a touch of brown sugar. Yum!

EDIT: The next morning, I made oatmeal again and while I made mine the same way with pecans and cherries, I made some for Cornelius with some bananas caramelized in butter and brown sugar and topped with pecans. Yes, he was very, very thankful.

scottish oatmeal
1 1/2 c water
pinch of salt
1/2 c scottish oats
a couple of pecan halves broken into bits
a small handful of dried cherries
1/2 t brown sugar

1. In a small pot, add the water and salt and bring to a boil.

2. Add in the oats, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and keep covered for another 5 minutes. Stir up porridge and add into your favorite breakfast bowl. Top with pecans, cherries and brown sugar.

morning oats

If you've been reading this blog for a while now, you've certainly been made aware that I love oatmeal. I've made steel cut oats for breakfast, two different kinds of baked oatmeal and some gussied-up porridge. What I have never tried until now was the deliciousness of Scottish oatmeal. Hello, take my hand and follow me around forever, you yummy oat! Scottish oats are very similar in consistency to steel cut but cook in way less time yet yield that nice chewy texture provide the perfect sustenance to get you through any rough morning.

This isn't really a recipe. It was just me for breakfast today so I decided to prepare myself a large bowlful of oats. I just took the directions off of the package of Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oats and cut the amounts in half. What really made this breakfast special was the addition of pecans, dried cherries and a touch of brown sugar. Yum!

EDIT: The next morning, I made oatmeal again and while I made mine the same way with pecans and cherries, I made some for Cornelius with some bananas caramelized in butter and brown sugar and topped with pecans. Yes, he was very, very thankful.

scottish oatmeal
1 1/2 c water
pinch of salt
1/2 c scottish oats
a couple of pecan halves broken into bits
a small handful of dried cherries
1/2 t brown sugar

1. In a small pot, add the water and salt and bring to a boil.

2. Add in the oats, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and keep covered for another 5 minutes. Stir up porridge and add into your favorite breakfast bowl. Top with pecans, cherries and brown sugar.

model behaviour

Tonight I'm having a psuedo-girl's night. I'm getting together with friends to watch the trashiest of television trash, America's Next Top Model. The reason why I'm calling it a psuedo-girl's night is because half of the people showing up to our apartment are boys. ANTM is not only fun tv to watch with friends of both genders, but it's great television to actively engage in a friendly wager. Yes, you heard it! We bet on who will become America's Next Top Model. At the beginning of the season (or cycle, to those in the know), we each place $10 in the pot and rank our top three picks in order. It's all very scientific, really, and it makes for a good excuse to get together mid-week.

I usually try to make a treat each Wednesday and this week is no exception. And because the models are wafer-thin, tonight I was inspired to make a something model-approved. This oatmeal cookie recipe came from Dawna at Always in the Kitchen. I made a couple of changes to Dawna's original recipe (like the addition of sunflower seeds), but they'd be perfect anyway you bake them. These cookies are surprisingly light in texture, low(ish) in fat and are as pretty as a picture. I'm normally a fan of buttery oatmeal cookies, but I didn't miss the butter in this recipe at all. These cookies are fierce and perfect for any errupting catfights.

coconut oatmeal cookies
1/2 c canola oil
1 c brown sugar (not packed)
1 egg
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c stoneground whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sweetened coconut
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium mixing bowl, pour the oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. Beat well until smooth. Add the rolled oats, coconut, and flours in layers without stirring. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt, and then stir the whole mixture slowly until evenly mixed.

2. Using a tablespoon, drop the cookies onto a baking sheet, leaving enough room for them to expand. Use your fingers to slightly flatten the tops. Bake for about 12 minutes or until just barely golden. Remove promptly to a cooling rack.

model behaviour

Tonight I'm having a psuedo-girl's night. I'm getting together with friends to watch the trashiest of television trash, America's Next Top Model. The reason why I'm calling it a psuedo-girl's night is because half of the people showing up to our apartment are boys. ANTM is not only fun tv to watch with friends of both genders, but it's great television to actively engage in a friendly wager. Yes, you heard it! We bet on who will become America's Next Top Model. At the beginning of the season (or cycle, to those in the know), we each place $10 in the pot and rank our top three picks in order. It's all very scientific, really, and it makes for a good excuse to get together mid-week.

I usually try to make a treat each Wednesday and this week is no exception. And because the models are wafer-thin, tonight I was inspired to make a something model-approved. This oatmeal cookie recipe came from Dawna at Always in the Kitchen. I made a couple of changes to Dawna's original recipe (like the addition of sunflower seeds), but they'd be perfect anyway you bake them. These cookies are surprisingly light in texture, low(ish) in fat and are as pretty as a picture. I'm normally a fan of buttery oatmeal cookies, but I didn't miss the butter in this recipe at all. These cookies are fierce and perfect for any errupting catfights.

coconut oatmeal cookies
1/2 c canola oil
1 c brown sugar (not packed)
1 egg
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c stoneground whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c sweetened coconut
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium mixing bowl, pour the oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and egg. Beat well until smooth. Add the rolled oats, coconut, and flours in layers without stirring. Add the baking soda, baking powder and salt, and then stir the whole mixture slowly until evenly mixed.

2. Using a tablespoon, drop the cookies onto a baking sheet, leaving enough room for them to expand. Use your fingers to slightly flatten the tops. Bake for about 12 minutes or until just barely golden. Remove promptly to a cooling rack.

baked oatmeal

I love oatmeal for breakfast. It's comforting and virtuous and above all, tasty delicious. I try to make our weekend breakfasts a bit more special than the everyday morning eats and yesterday I decided to make baked oatmeal. I've made baked oatmeal before, but I found a new recipe and wanted to try something a bit different. This oatmeal recipe included an egg plus baking powder which I thought a bit odd, but the results were fantastic. I can't say that one baked oatmeal is better than the other since I'd welcome either at the breakfast table.

I changed the original recipe somewhat by lowering the sugar content, adding spices and using fresh grated apple instead of applesauce. You can view the original Cooking Light recipe here. My take follows below.

baked oatmeal #2
2 c quick oats
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c. raisins
2 T chopped walnuts
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 c skim milk
1 apple, grated
2 T butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 t vanilla

1. Mix the first 8 ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

2. In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.

3. Pour into square baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with a large dollop of yogurt.

baked oatmeal

I love oatmeal for breakfast. It's comforting and virtuous and above all, tasty delicious. I try to make our weekend breakfasts a bit more special than the everyday morning eats and yesterday I decided to make baked oatmeal. I've made baked oatmeal before, but I found a new recipe and wanted to try something a bit different. This oatmeal recipe included an egg plus baking powder which I thought a bit odd, but the results were fantastic. I can't say that one baked oatmeal is better than the other since I'd welcome either at the breakfast table.

I changed the original recipe somewhat by lowering the sugar content, adding spices and using fresh grated apple instead of applesauce. You can view the original Cooking Light recipe here. My take follows below.

baked oatmeal #2
2 c quick oats
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c. raisins
2 T chopped walnuts
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 c skim milk
1 apple, grated
2 T butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1 t vanilla

1. Mix the first 8 ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

2. In another bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well.

3. Pour into square baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with a large dollop of yogurt.

oatmeal

After cursing that the OC had been replaced by a baseball game, I went on my computer to drown my sorrows in ones and zeros. I discovered a new food blog and decided that I was going to make this recipe for breakfast the next day. The idea of baked oatmeal sounded amazing and I like that it was referred to as "breakfast cake". Sorry for the blurred photos. Sometimes, I just don't want to re-take a photo.

Here is the recipe as it appeared: (my notes are below)

Baked Oatmeal
Serves 2-3

2 cups lowfat milk
1 cup water
1 t. vanilla extract
1 t. almond extract
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup dried fruit of your choice [I used raisins and cherries]
½ cup toasted pecans, roughly chopped [or walnuts, or almonds]
1 t. cinnamon
1-2 pieces fresh fruit, peeled, pitted, and sliced [I used a nectarine, but this would work equally well with plums, apples, pears, apricots…]

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a small rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

Combine milk, water, extracts, and sugar in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, combine oats, dried fruit, nuts, and cinnamon. Pour in the liquid and stir, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the sliced fruit and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired [I didn’t, but I think it might look pretty]. Bake for ½ hour, or until all liquid is absorbed. Serve with additional milk.

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* Both Cornelius and I loved this recipe and no doubt we'll make it again. I don't use a nonstick spray and just lightly greased the pan with butter, which didn't alter the flavour at all. Dang! I used a granny smith apple (mmmm, tart!) which was delicious and next time I'd love to try this with raspberries. We both found this a bit too sweet. It could be that I packed down the brown sugar, but next time I make this I will just use less. I also added a bit of ground ginger, nutmeg and cloves cuz I love a bit of spiciness and it worked out well. Who knows, if the spirit moves you, mix in some canned pumpkin!

pumpkin chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

The great thing about working from home is that I've got cookies in the oven and I'm finishing up an ad for a client all at the very same time. Nice! These cookies are actually Cornelius' favorite cookies and he talks about them all the time. Since fall is here and I'm enamoured with everything pumpkin, I figured now would be the perfect time to share these beauties!

2 c flour
1 c quick or old-fashioned oats
1 t baking soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 c (2 sticks) butter
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 c cooked and pureed pumpkin (I use canned)
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (I usually use more)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt). Set aside.
3. Cream butter. Gradually add both sugars and cream until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
4. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition.
5. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet, leaving room for cookies to spread. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until tops of cookies are dry and spring back when touched lightly. Remove from baking sheet and cool on racks.

c is for cookie.

I love this recipe! It was originally printed years ago in the Georgia Straight, our local free weekly and I've made some additions and I think it's a near-perfect cookie recipe. I like to keep the cookies in tins to keep them soft. I made them last night in a fit of procrastination. It was much easier making these cookies than gathering work for my portfolio!

These can also be easily made into vegan cookies since there are no eggs in this recipe. Just replace the butter for vegan margerine or Natural Balance. Yum!

chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
1 c butter
1 c brown sugar, lightly packed
1 t baking soda
1/4 c boiling water
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 c flour
1/2 t salt
2 c oats
1/2 c dried coconut
2 c semi sweet chocolate chips (this is where I play: I mix walnuts, raisins and chocolate chips to equal to 2 cups)

Cream the butter with the sugar until well mixed. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and add it to the butter/sugar mix, followed by vanilla. Stir together the dry ingredients and add it slowly to the creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate chip (or mixture) and combine. Form small balls, flatten a little, and bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.